Portrait of Giles J. Smith, Jr., a 1st Lt. in the U.S. Marines. Giles, also known as Jim, was born on March 9, 1921, in Kansas City, Missouri. Giles, a member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity while at the University of Missouri, received his commission as a fighter pilot on June 26, 1943. He married Verdella Rothband on June 29, 1943, and in October was sent to the southwest Pacific. He was killed in action on May 1, 1944. He was awarded the Purple Heart and the Air Medal.

Reproduction (printing, downloading, or copying) of images from Kansas City Public Library requires permission and payment for the following uses, whether digital or print: publication; reproduction of multiple copies; personal, non-educational purposes; and advertising or commercial purposes. Please order prints or digital files and pay use fees through this website. All images must be properly credited to: "Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library, Kansas City, Missouri." Images and texts may be reproduced without prior permission only for purposes of temporary, private study, scholarship, or research. Those using these images and texts assume all responsibility for questions of copyright and privacy that may arise.